Is MySpace a good place for lawyers to network?
.png){kind=small}
One of my readers asked if MySpace is a good place for a lawyer to network so as to grow their business.
MySpace can be an excellent place for lawyers to network - assuming it's a good fit for you personally.
MySpace is best suited to professionals who would be networking socially with the age and demographic group and that make ups the majority of facebook's users. MySpace is best for lawyers who would find themselves drawn to the MySpace community even if they were not a lawyer.
If you'd be hanging out there anyway, why not let people know you're a lawyer and network? If it feels forced and who'd feel out of place hanging out in MySpace, I don't think it's a good fit.
Look around MySpace, try it. Does it feel right for you? Are you meeting people you'd like to meet? How does it feel? If it feels comfortable after a bit, MySpace may be a good fit for you.
If not, MySpace would be just like networking somewhere offline where you felt out of place. It wouldn't work.
If you have not used MySpace before, ask someone who has and who has used it to network. I've talked with Blog Business Summit's Teresa Valdez Klein about MySpace and FaceBook. Teresa is a generation or two younger but deals with professionals on a regular basis. She's been a good teacher - though I confess I have a long way to go.
Teresa, maybe we can get you to leave a comment about a lawyer could use MySpace to network. We'll then feature it as a post for our lawyer community. And of course use it to promote Blog Business Summit. ;)
It doesn't look like she's taken the bait yet, Kevin, but you've got the magic keywords in your post so I'm happy to take a crack at it.
First off, I think you're correct about comfort: there's little use in "networking" with people in an uncomfortable environment. This is why people rarely hold meet and greets in the deli freezer at the local supermarket.
And also, it does depend on what kind of law you practice. If you're a net-savvy type of person, familiar with the legal ins and outs of image-hosting and file sharing, then it makes sense to give yourself a virtual billboard in a community that will naturally have questions about your field.
But from my experience in MySpace, the site is less about "networking" the way LinkedIn or even Facebook is about networking, because the pages are built more like billboards than coffee tables.
MySpace commands a lot of traffic, so it's probably a good idea for most lawyers to advertise their practice on their profile, but a sizable chunk of MySpace traffic is also under 18. My guess is that you'll get a lot of "hey, can you answer this quick question for free?", but not necessarily a ton of business.
In short, I think that the internet is a great tool for a lawyer (or most any profession) to build a network, but like any other medium, there are different demographics, and you should make a conscious decision about the one you are aiming for.
I wrote a short post on my french blog about french lawyers on mySpace ... we found only one : http://www.axessit.com/lexity/Des-avocats,-meme-sur-mySpace-!_a46.html
On our market I'm not sure this kind of promotion would generate biz for lawyers.
They should invest on videocast ... Youtube & Dailymotion are creating better buzz.
PS : even in France U get readers !!! Good job ... small earth ;-)
Proceed with caution. The perceived quality is such that these don't have a lot of credibility in the mainstream and are derisively referred to as "pull-ups" (as in pampers, "I'm a big boy now"). I wouldn't hire a lawyer or anyone I found on myspace; I'd want someone old enough to be potty trained. I kid, I kid but still, I wouldn't rely on a myspace site to establish one's self as an authority *UNLESS* myspace visitors are your intended market -because having a site there can do the opposite. Most myspace people are very young, few have the money to spend. Their parents would be more likely to hire you. The kids are used to get everything for free. My experience has been they will subject you to abuse if you suggest they pay for what they need.
As far as establishing credibility (and page ranking), you'll have to two blogs, a myspace site and one for everybody else because gaining traction is much harder. People who'd otherwise link to you won't (I never will), because among other things, myspace sites are infamous for auditorially ambushing visitors (music should be off by default). Visitors can't even see your blog unless they're members and they subscribe. How does one know if they want to subscribe if they can't preview the content? You'll lose at least half of all site landings right there because people shouldn't have to buy-in just to see if you're worth a return visit. Design wise, myspace blogs are cluttered (minimally) with ads. The only ads that should be on your site are yours or else people who can afford your services will think you're too marginal to afford site hosting and that does little to increase consumer confidence in you. Will a myspace site enhance or detract from your image? Maybe I'm not your market but I certainly wouldn't hire a lawyer (or anyone) I found on myspace. I'd prefer someone old enough to shave, with some experience under their belt. You know, out of pull-ups and well into being potty-trained. :)
Hi: I've just signed up for myspace because several people told me it would be a geat marketing tool. But since I've been researching it on many blogs like this, I'm having second thoughts. I just began a blog, www.CaliforniaCriminalLawyerBlog.com, and I'm loving working in it.
But I'm wondering how successful myspace blog will be for criminal defense. I'm also wondering if it might be just too much work.
Thoughts?
Mary
Good question on the ROI of MySpace. Though a subscriber, I do not use MySpace for networking and client development. The reason is I can see tangible benefits from blogging and the networking I do via my blog.
My gut tells me MySpace is a social scene where if you meet people of similar age and similar interests outside the law, people will learn what you do as a lawyer. When those people have a legal need or people they know ask them if they know a lawyer, you may get a call or an email.
I'd learn more about how to use your blog as a proactive tool to get get clients. As a criminal defense lawyer, look up Jamie Spencer in Austin. Because of his tremendous client gains from running a couple criminal defense blogs, we call him the professor.